Current News

Long-time Douglas staffer, Dennise Casey will leave the Governor’s office at the end of the year to take a senior position at the Republican Governors Association (RGA), Governor Douglas announced today.
“This is a bittersweet announcement,” said Governor Douglas. “Dennise has been an important part of my team since 2002 and she will be missed. However, I am thrilled that Dennise will continue her good work at the RGA as we gear up for an exciting 2010 election. Her intelligence and energy will be a real asset to the organization.”

Mount Snow kicked off the 09-10 winter season by opening with top to bottom trails on two of its mountain faces. At 9am this morning the Grand Summit Express, Canyon Express and Discovery Shuttle lifts offered terrain on the main face of the mountain for a group of guests eager to carve their first turns of the season. Meanwhile at Carinthia the Nitro Express spun into action as a horde of park riders raced to be the first to put board to steel in the Nitro terrain park. In total there was over 70 acres of skiing and riding on four trails with ten terrain park features.

Governor Jim Douglas today announced that the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation was awarded nearly a half-million dollars of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds from the U.S. Forest Service to control invasive insects and plants and provide conservation education programs in state parks and recreation areas within the Green Mountain National Forest.
The 16-month project will allow state officials to control the spread of invasive plants and insects on state and National Forest Service lands, by conducting pest surveys, limiting firewood movement and enhancing native species recovery for ash, butternut and chestnut.
“Vermont’s forests are valuable economically, ecologically and socially,” said Commissioner Jason Gibbs. “A major thrust of maintaining forest health in Vermont is detecting, eliminating or managing newly introduced pests.”

Moody’s Investor Service has assigned investment grade issuer and debt ratings for Central Vermont Public Service. CVPS calls this an important step as the company prepares for Vermont’s energy future. The company has been focused on improving its credit matrices and ratings, which have been rated at below investment grade by Standard and Poor’s for several years, so these ratings signal an improved view of the company on Wall Street. The action affects approximately $177 million in securities. Moody's assigned a Baa3 issuer rating and a Baa1 senior secured rating to CVPS' currently outstanding first mortgage bonds, which were previously unrated by Moody's. It also affirmed CVPS' Ba2 preferred stock rating and the company's current stable rating outlook.

Radiology Today, a leading trade publication for interventional radiologists, has published an article in its November 30, 2009, issue highlighting the inherent danger of using radiation-emitting devices for anatomical visualization and navigation. Ascension Technology of Burlington, Vermont, is cited as offering a magnetic imaging alternative.
The article "Alternative Guidance Systems Minimize X-Ray Exposure", by Pulitzer-prize winning writer, Steve Wagner, warns physicians that radiation can have long-term implications, such as blood-borne cancers and cataracts.
Wagner interviewed Dr. Isador Lieberman, chairman of the Medical, Interventional and Surgical Spine Center at the Cleveland Clinic, for the article. While citing the absolute need for real-time imaging, Lieberman laments the fact that multiple new x-rays are the current standard of care.

The extinction of plant and animal species can be likened to emptying a museum of its collection, or dumping a cabinet full of potential medicines into the trash, or replacing every local cuisine with hamburgers. But the decline of species and their habitats may not just make the world boring. New research now suggests it may also put you at greater risk for catching some nasty disease, according to a University of Vermont-led article appearing in the journal BioScience.
"Habitat destruction and biodiversity loss,"—driven by the replacement of local species by exotic ones, deforestation, global transportation, encroaching cities, and other environmental changes—"can increase the incidence and distribution of infectious diseases in humans," write University of Vermont biologist Joe Roman, EPA scientist Montira Pongsiri, and seven co-authors in BioScience.

NYSDOT Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee and Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) Secretary David Dill have announced that, in order to expedite progress on demolishing the current Lake Champlain Bridge and designing its replacement, the states will hold a series of meetings to present plans and options to the public throughout the day on Saturday, December 12, at LaChute Hall, 132 Montcalm Street, in Ticonderoga, New York. Vermont Public Radio has reported that the federal agency responsible for approving the demolition is expected to do so Monday. Officials want to demolish the bridge as soon as possible, perhaps by the middle of next week, before winter sets in to move the process ahead as quickly as possible.

Today in celebration of the upcoming International Volunteer Day, Hampton Hotels announced the “All-American Landmarks” that its hotel team members will help refurbish during the Save-A-Landmark program’s milestone 10th anniversary in 2010. In just 18 days during November, communities around the country cast nearly 20,000 votes for their favorite landmarks in four states which were Arkansas, Nebraska, Utah and Vermont.

Not only are we trading presents with family and colleagues over the next few weeks, but many people also make donations to non profit organizations this time of year. A new report reveals that each gift—whether it is of time, money or other resources—has a multiplier effect, touching lives in a small community and then rippling outward.
Giving in Vermont looks at the essential role charitable giving plays in our communities and the distinct challenges nonprofit organizations face when trying to raise money in a rural state. Among other things, the report points out that individuals contribute the vast majority of all monetary donations, far outpacing those from foundations, corporations and businesses. It also found that Vermonters are more generous with their time, but donate less money, when compared to national averages. The Vermont Community Foundation researched and produced these findings as part of its Understanding Vermont program.

Governor Jim Douglas and Secretary of Administration Neale Lunderville today announced that agreement on a new two-year contract has been reached with the Vermont State Employees Association (VSEA). The contract, which was signed by both parties earlier today, includes a 3 percent wage reduction as well as no automatic yearly wage adjustments or step increases for the duration of the contract. This settlement is very good news for the taxpayers of Vermont, according to a statement issued by the governor's office. It recognizes the governor’s call to share the sacrifice broadly during these very challenging economic times.

Vermont residents may now obtain an Enhanced Drivers License (EDL) at the Rutland office of the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, which is located at 101 State Place in Rutland. Until now, the only place an EDL was available was in Montpelier.
An EDL provides Vermonters with all the motor-vehicle privileges of a normal drivers license, but it has the added advantage of being recognized by the United States federal government as proper documentation to cross the Canadian border by either land or sea.
“Many Vermonters have inquired about obtaining an EDL, but for many the trip to Montpelier was just too much trouble,” said Vermont DMV Commissioner Robert Ide. “Employees at the Rutland office have now received the extensive training necessary to issues this passport-type document.”

At a time when the nation’s public water systems are facing a $24 billion shortfall, states can ill afford to spend millions of public dollars on bottled water – an unnecessary use of the most essential public resource. Corporate Accountability International is releasing a new report Getting States Off the Bottle as part of its ongoing Think Outside the Bottle campaign. This new report reveals state spending on bottled water in four northeastern states, explains why spending taxpayer dollars on bottled water is wasteful, and offers suggestions for how states can cut back on bottled water spending.